Masked
by d1sAstUr
Summary: With her dad in a coma and in need of surgery, Pepper is at a lost and in need of money. She finds the mask of Madame Mask, and thing start to look up, that is, until Iron Man gets in the way. WhitneyXTonyXPepper, TonyXMadameMask
1. Chapter 1

Masked

By: d1sAstUr

* * *

Whitney Stane was a changed woman.

She strut through the halls of Stark International with a bounce in her step; a bounce that has been missing for quite some time. Her hair flowed behind her and her eyes were set straight, ignoring those who paused to look at the daughter of their boss. They all knew her well enough to not stand in her way when she wanted to visit her father.

She let the doors slide open and strode in without so much as a greeting. Obadiah Stane looked up from his work and his frown deepened more. "Again, Whitney?" he said standing up. "What is it this time? You know I don't have time—"

"I give up."

He raised an eyebrow. "What?" He was expecting her to yell at him for not making time for her, but he didn't expect to hear the next words to come out of her mouth.

She crossed her arms, keeping her voice steady as she talked. "I'm sick and tired of asking, _begging_ for you to spend time with me. This has been going on for too long and I've cried out all my tears over this. When a daughter has to waste so much time and energy to ask her own father to clear even a minute to spend time with her—" she shook her head, "its unheard of."

Obadiah

Obadiah sighed angrily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't have time for this, Whitney—"

"Do you even remember my birthday anymore?" She cut him off.

He looked surprised. "Of course I remember your birthday. Its tomorrow."

Whitney shook her head, almost as if in disgust. "It's today." And with that she turned on her heel and walked away, ignoring her father and the other people who tried to stop her. When she stepped outside she took a deep breath that she didn't know she was holding. _That's one thing down,_ she thought. She planned on changing everything today. Today marks the start of a new her. She reached in her bag and took something out. _The start of a new me,_ she thought, touching the porcelain surface of the mask of Madame Mask.

Suddenly her phone vibrated, signaling a text message. It was from Tony Stark: _Where are you? First bell is about to ring. & happy birthday (:_

Whitney smiled. She walked forward and dropped the mask in a trashcan, then, ignoring her driver, she walked to the Tomorrow Academy. "Today," she said aloud, "is going to be a good day."

* * *

"Today is going to SUCK!"

Pepper Potts slammed her head repeatedly into the locker adjacent to Tony's, earning strange looks from passing students.

"Today barely started," Rhodey pointed out.

"Yeah, Pepper," Tony said shutting his locker and putting away his phone. "What makes you say that?"

"Do you really want to know?" she grimaced.

She expected them to say "No," but when they said nothing, she took a deep breath. "My dad stopped giving me allowance since I came home last night helping your sorry butt—" she pointed accusingly to Tony, who but his hands up in surrender, "—and, therefore, I don't have money for the bus OR money for lunch, I'm still sick from that stupid virus that has been going around, I forgot my drama homework at home WHICH IS NEXT PERIOD, I have a pounding headache from lack of oxygen because I'm yelling at you guys, and to top it all off, I have my period!"

Both boys chorused, "Ew," and cringed. Pepper now pointed accusingly at her stomach. "My intestines feel like they're moving around in my abdomen and I'm bleeding from my—"

"Hi Tony!"

Both Tony and Rhodey sighed in relief when someone cut Pepper off. The trio turned around to find Whitney smiling… at all of them.

"Hey Whitney!" Tony rushed to her side with open arms. "Happy birthday!" They hugged and Rhodey could practically feel Pepper's aura of anger. "And my dad just got even worse," the growled. Rhodey took a safe step away from the girl.

As if on cue, the first bell of the day rang, and Pepper immediately stormed off. Tony and Rhodey exchanged looks.

"Is she ok?"

The boys did a double take, not entirely sure if those words came out of Whitney Stane's mouth. She looked up at Tony and he stumbled for a response. "Its uh…" he glanced at his best friend, who was still a bit stunned, "It's a… girl thing?"

Whitney nodded her head. "Ohh…" she said, as if she completely understood.

"So, uh," Rhodey said, feeling awkward. "I'm going to be late for class so…." He glanced at Whitney and quickly said "Happy birthday," and turned around to walk.

"Thank you!" she called after him, and Rhodey quickened his pace until he turned the corner.

Tony looked at Whitney, eyebrow quirked. "You're in a good mood," he walked her to her class. She shrugged. "It's my birthday," she said, "A new year, a new me."

It was Tony's turn to nod as if he completely understood. "So, any plans for tonight?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Not really," she said, "A few of my friends from my old school are taking me to this cool pool bar near Union Square."

"Hey, that's cool, my dad used to have a pool table in his office."

Whitney looked down and Tony stopped talking. She knew her father probably had that sold or destroyed. Tony was thinking about how he always used to beat his father, no matter what he did. They used to play with every spare moment they had together at the office.

There was an awkward moment of silence before she spoke up again, breaking Tony's train of thought. "Hey do you want to come with us?"

Tony did another double take, responding with a dumb, "Huh?"

"Come on, it'll be fun!" she said turning to face him.

"I can't, I, uh," he thought of something quickly, "I have plans with Rhodey and Pepper already." He mentally sighed, thinking he was out of the snake pit.

"Then just bring them along! I don't mind." Fate shoved him back in the snake pit. "I'm sure the others wouldn't mind either."

The late bell rang and Whitney jogged forward to her class. "I'll text you the address!" she called back at him. Clearly, she wouldn't take "No," for an answer, and Tony didn't even have the chance to answer.

* * *

"No."

"Absolutely positively never in a few trillion years!"

Tony was practically on his knees. "Please?? Pleeeeaaasseeee?!"

Rhodey and Pepper crossed their arms and exchanged looks, then looked back at their friend. "No."

Tony let his arms fall to his side and he sighed, dejected.

"Honestly, Tony," Rhodey tried to reason, "Do you really think that we'd fit in, or have fun, with a bunch of rich kids?"

"They're not just 'a bunch of rich kids'," Tony said for what seemed to be the nth time. "They're just normal kids whose parents just happened to have a lot of money."

"That's not very convincing," Pepper said, looking everywhere but at him.

"If I weren't heir to the multibillion dollar weapons distributor and just an average kid with an unusual knack for being excellent at science, would you still be my friends?" Tony asked with a straight face.

His friends said nothing.

"It's just one night," he continued. "Besides, we all need a break from everything. School, Iron Man, parents," he looked at Pepper at the mention of 'parents', but she still didn't look at him.

"So, say we do go, hypothetically," Rhodey said, "How are we going to get in? You said it was a bar, right?"

Tony has a cocky smile, the one that always made Pepper go a little weak at the knees. "Fortunately for you, I am heir to the multibillion dollar weapons distributor and not just an average kid with an unusual knack for being excellent at science." He winked, "I have my ways."

Rhodey sighed in defeat. "Fine," he said. Tony grinned, and looked at Pepper. She still wasn't looking at him, but at the ground, shuffling her feet. It was quiet between the three of them for a moment, a moment in which Tony wanted to rip his hair out if Pepper didn't give him an answer. She mumbled her response, and Tony literally jumped for joy. "YES! Thank you!" Out of whim he gave Pepper a bear hug, and the girl almost screamed in surprise. He let go of her before she could even process what just happened and Tony dragged Rhodey away. "Meet us at the lab at 7!" he called back at Pepper.

She watched them go and shook her head, wondering what she just got herself into.

* * *

_Well what do you think? I know it was really short, but I promise that the following chapters will be much longer! It's my first fanfic ever, so let me know if it was good, or just so bad it made you want to barff all over your keyboard._

_`d1sAstUr_


	2. Chapter 2

Masked

By d1sAstUr

* * *

Pepper didn't like hospitals.

She spent too much time in them and it's about damn time she got sick of them.

Sure they help people when they're sick and dying and whatnot, but when your dad's in a coma and in need of a three grand surgery, it kind of defeats the purpose.

She sat in her father's hospital room quietly, concentrating on the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the gasping of the oxygen tank. She looked straight ahead of her, completely expressionless, but not at the person beside her. Her hands were shaking slightly, and were grasped into tight fists. "I'm going to a bar today, Dad," she said.

No response.

"It's actually a pool bar, but that's even worse, isn't it?"

No response.

"But the good thing is that Tony is getting us in, which is cool because in that case, it's kind of legal."

No response.

"I'm probably going to get drunk."

…

"Or I might even hitch a ride back home with one of those rich kids."

…

"And instead of taking me home, he might take me back to his place."

…

"I'm even wearing something different!" she said looking down at her clothes, "Tony told me to wear something that made me looked older, so I dug around in some of Mom's old clothes and found this really short skirt and this low neck shirt that makes my boobs pop out."

…

"Alright, not really. But these jeans are really tight, and this top is kind of low cut. You wouldn't approve. But I'm wearing it anyway. And there's nothing you can do about it."

She got up and finally looked down at her unresponsive father. His eyes were closed and his chest rose slightly with the oxygen that was being pumped into him. "Obviously there's nothing you can do about it," she said more to her self. "Because people in a comatose can't do anything about anything."

She held his hand tightly; half expecting him to grip hers back. "I'll get you through this, Daddy," she whispered. "I'll get us both through this."

When she got no response, she turned and walked out of the room without looking back.

* * *

Tony frowned. He never had a problem like this before. He was supposed to be a genius! He is the son of Howard-freaking-Stark! But how come he couldn't swipe one single damn metro card?!

"Why won't you work?!!" he practically yelled at the poor machine. He moved his metro card back and forth through the slot, but the gates wouldn't let him through. The words "Please swipe again," coming up on the screen was aggravating him more and more.

Rhodey shook his head and Pepper sighed from the other side of the gates of the subway, watching their friend. Was this the genius that was supposed to know everything? "He's holding up the line," Rhodey said quietly to Pepper so Tony wouldn't hear. "It's amazing how he can build a super high tech battle armor from scratch, but he doesn't know how to properly use a metro card."

"I HEARD THAT RHODES!"

Pepper rolled her eyes and finally went over to him. She took his metro card and flipped it the other way. "The big black line is supposed to face down," she said like she was talking to a 5-year-old. "And you're supposed to read where is says 'Insert this way/This side facing you'." She easily swiped the card and the gates beeped, allowing him to finally pass. He looked down, clearly embarrassed. He snatched the card away from Pepper, muttering a thank you.

Rhodey was laughing when they approached him. "I will never forget this," he said and he and Pepper laughed harder when Tony blushed.

"So tell me again, why we're doing this?" Pepper said as the L train slowed to a screeching stop in front of them.

"Because you love me unconditionally and undeniably," Tony said with that cocky grin of his. It took a lot of willpower for Pepper not to spazz uncontrollably.

"Oh you have no idea," Rhodey muttered from next to Pepper, and she elbowed him sharply in the ribs. Tony raised an eyebrow at the two and Pepper grinned as if nothing happened. "Right. Of course," she said cheekily.

"This is going to be a small party right?" Rhodey said as they boarded the train. "It's not going to be, like a blowout smash, is it?"

To Tony's dismay, the train car was full so the three of them were forced to stand. He didn't meet his friend's eye when he responded. "Uh huh."

Rhodey and Pepper glanced at each other. "I don't think I like the sound of that," Pepper said warily.

"Well, Whitney told me that a 'few' of her friends were going," he used finger quotes around the word 'few', "but knowing her, a 'few' is probably a few dozen." He winced, waiting for his friends to blow up on them. But they didn't get the chance to, because just as they opened their mouths, the train lunged forward and Tony, not used to the subway at all, lunged backward, falling on top of a few angry New Yorkers.

Once again, Pepper and Rhodey burst out laughing. "You deserved that!" Pepper exclaimed pointing at the poor boy. A few people around then laughed as well, and Tony got up adorning a blush that put tomatoes to shame.

Excluding the MTA, Tony loved New York City, especially in the night.

No matter how many places he and his had traveled, New York City would always be his home. He loved the energy everyone emitted and the bright lights that seemed to carry lives of their own. He loved how everyone that passed him on the busy sidewalks was different and unique. He loved the "no-discrimination" attitude that emitted from everyone. Overall, nothing could compare to this.

As he led his friends through the wonderful, Tony wondered why he didn't go hang out in the city with his friends more often. _Because you built a mega-high-tech super battle suit and you go saving the city with it so you can get your father's company back from his crazed partner and stop the mass production of Stark International weapons for the better and then take over the whole company in two years and finally figure out what really happened during the plane crash that killed your father, _the little voice in the back of his head reminded him.

Right. How could he forget?

They stopped in front of the bar a little ways back from the entrance. It looked like a simple place, but the three of them could hear the music pounding through the walls.

Tony turned to face his friends. "Alright guys," he said, "When we go in, I need you guys to act completely calm, like you do this everyday." He eyed Pepper who was practically jumping up and down. "Its most likely that I'll know the bouncers. But its good you guys changed up your outfits because you look about 5 years older just in case." He looked at his two friends in approval. Rhodey was wearing dark jeans with a tucked in button up grey polo and a light blazer, making him look like an average senior in college. Pepper wore closely fitted white washed jeans along with a pink blouse with a white belt around her midsection. She still adorned her small shoulder bag that swung around her chest and lay at her hip. Tony would never say this out loud, be he honestly thought that she looked better with the whole college-girl façade. Sophistication suited her better than happy-go-lucky. Tony himself settled for attire similar to Rhodey's, except he didn't have a blazer and his polo was a dark red color, similar to the color of the shirt he usually wears.

Pepper stepped up and poked at Tony's chest threatening. "If this doesn't work," she said dangerously, "I swear, I'm telling Whitney that you have a battery in your chest and you fly around in a chunk of metal stalking people at night."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Well, when you put it that way that does sound pretty evil."

Then he smirked and Pepper struggled to keep her outer persona calm. "But if it does work, you have to play me in pool. One on one, eight ball."

Pepper smirked back, fearless. "You're on." She stepped forward, "I've been playing pool since I could learn how to walk."

"Then you must be pretty good," Tony said, and being the arrogant cocky bastard he was, he leaned forward to their faces were barely touching, "But I bet I'm better."

They pulled away from each other and Tony strut right on into the place. "You're dead meat," Rhodey told her as they followed. "Tony has never lost a game of pool."

"That's because he never played me," Pepper said confidently, though inside she was practically screaming like a crazed fan girl at the proximity she and Tony just shared.

A few fist bumps, high fives, and five minutes of pure man-talk later, the three friends walked into the bar without question or dely. All Rhodey and Pepper had to do was stand there and pretend they were simply waiting for Tony to finish smothering the bouncer. Inwardly, the two were sweating and panicking and jumping up and down in anxiety. Tony crossed his arms and gave Pepper a smug look. She scowled at him, saying nothing. "Told you so," Rhodey said. He grunted painfully when she stomped on his toe.

Pepper looked around. There were about 20 tables in all, all lined up perfectly in five rows. The bar itself was located near the entrance, adorning chairs and a plasma screen T.V. broadcasting the video for whatever song was booming through the sound system. There were five columns scattered around where chairs and cues were adorned.

Aside from the setting of the place, it was _packed_. Each table had at least 5 people, and everyone there were obviously teenagers.

Teenagers who looked like they just stepped out of an episode of _Gossip Girl._

Pepper and Rhodey looked at each other. This was going to be harder than they thought.

Tony looked over at the two. "See?" he said gesturing towards the crowd of obviously rich people, "Its not as bad as you thought, right?" he asked.

"Worse," the two chorused.

"Tony!" Before he could answer someone called for him and he turned around. Whitney came over to greet them, decked out in what seemed to be a purely designer electric blue cocktail dress. "And Pepper and Rhodey! I'm glad you guys could make it." She smiled at them and Pepper twitched.

"Hey Whitney," Tony said, then grinned, "You look beautiful," he said in one of the most sincere tones Pepper has ever heard him say. Clearly, Tony had no idea what kind of effect he had on most girls.

"Thanks," she replied, blushing slightly. "You guys really know how to clean up." She looked at Rhodey and Pepper. "I love your top," she said to Pepper. "Is it from BCBG?"

Pepper was dumbfounded for a moment. "Uh… yeah." She glanced down at her shirt as if to check if it were still on, "Yeah I'm pretty sure it is."

Whitney smiled. "It looks nice on you."

"Um… thank you?" Rhodey was all but gaping at Whitney in surprise, both at her attitude and how her dress seemed like it was one size smaller than it should have been.

She took Tony's arm and gestured for the other two to join them, "Come on. I'd like you to meet some people."

Pepper wanted to disappear right then and there, but Rhodey pulled her with him. They walked towards the back of the bar where there were two tables. There were two people at one of the tables, a boy and a girl. Tony fist bumped the guy and ruffled his hair playfully like they were brothers and gave the girl a short but sweet hug, comparing his height to hers and commenting on her shortness. It was obvious they were old friends, and Pepper felt like an outsider yet again.

"Pepper, Rhodey, I'd like you to meet Eric and Alexandra," Whitney said gesturing to the boy and girl. They both seemed to be around their age. Eric had tousled dirty blonde hair and deep green eyes that seemed to linger on Pepper for a minute longer than usual. Alexa had short jet-black hair that ended at a sharp angle near her chin and looked a bit short for her age. Pepper wondered how she could have possibly passed for 21.

"Nice to meet you," Eric said smiling.

"Very nice," Alexandra droned, looking at Rhodey. He pretended not to hear. So did everyone else.

Just then, a waitress greeted them and took orders for drinks. "I'll take a Long Island ice tea," Whitney said with a small smile. The waitress nodded, and then looked at Pepper. "Uh…" She had absolutely no knowledge of alcoholic beverages, "I'll have a coke?"

The waitress raised an eyebrow. "You're asking me?"

Everyone around them laughed and Pepper blushed heavily. Whitney gave Pepper a reassuring smile and addressed the waitress, "She'll have what I'm having."

"So, you guys are from the Tomorrow Academy?" Alexandra suddenly appeared at Rhodey's side, a little to close for comfort. He instinctively stepped back in horror. "Y-Yeah," Rhodey said, "Alexandra, right?"

"For you, its just Alex," she said and winked. "And no wonder I haven't seen you around this part of the city." Now she was a little too close to comfort.

Rhodey pulled at his collar. "Uh… it's a b-big city, you know?" he stammered.

Pepper, not paying much attention to her friend's predicament, watched Whitney pull Tony to the adjacent pool table, saying something about "first time playing." Just by looking at her face, Pepper could tell when she was lying.

"So," her train of thought was broken and she looked across the table to see Eric smiling at her handsomely. "Have you ever played pool before?"

Pepper heard the sound of Tony breaking even and Whitney giggling. Maybe Whitney was a terrible liar, but Pepper Potts had an excellent poker face. She looked at Eric innocently. "No," she said, "I never did."

Eric's smile grew. "Then I," he bowed slightly, "will be your teacher."

* * *

"So we'll start off easy with a simple game called eight ball," Eric said arranging the colored balls in the triangle in the center of the table.

"Do you have to get eight balls into the sockets to win?" Pepper asked batting her eyelashes. She knew very damn well how to play eight ball. She was currently the reigning champion between her and her father with a 27-26 record. But obviously, she couldn't let Eric know that.

Said pretty boy laughed. "No, you have to get the 8-ball," he picked up the only black ball, "into the socket."

"So I'll break, and if a striped ball goes in first, I have to get all the striped balls in. If a solid ball goes in—"

"—You have to get all the solid balls in," Pepper said. He smiled at her. "Right. And whoever gets all their patterned balls in has to hit the 8-ball. If you hit the 8-ball in early, you automatically lose."

"Hmm I wonder where they get the name of the game from," Pepper mused sarcastically.

"Yeah, beats me," Eric said playing along, "Because it has nothing to do with the object of the game."

"Nope. Nothing at all." Pepper grinned and he smiled back. They held each other's gaze for a minute too long before Pepper looked away, blushing slightly.

She looked over where Alex had dragged Rhodey somewhere near the bar. She was practically on top of the poor kid and he was practically out of his seat trying to get away. She felt bad for him, but she knew he could handle himself. She glanced at Tony and Whitney, and suddenly wished she never did. The whole front of Tony's body was pressed against the whole of Whitney's back as he showed her how to hit the cue ball. He spoke into her hear so softly she could barely see his lips move, and she could have sworn his hands were _caressing_ the she-witch.

Pepper turned away quickly, chewing on her lower lip and practically leaning on her cue for support. As if on cue, the waitress came back with their drinks, and Pepper quickly took a big gulp out of hers. She could taste the strong alcohol, but didn't really care. She wasn't sure what her alcohol tolerance was since she had never drunk before, but she was sure she was going to figure it out tonight.

"So," Eric looked at her thoughtfully, "You and Stark have a thing?" He must have noticed her looking at Tony and she quickly shook her head. "N-No, not at all," she fumbled. "We're just friends." She didn't like the way that sounded.

"Whitney and him have… a past," he said walking around the table so he could bend down and aim the cue ball at the triangle of numbered balls. "I don't think they were actually a couple, but Whitney is practically in love with the kid." He noticed how Pepper didn't meet his eye and realized his mistake, "But you probably didn't want to know that…"

_No shit Sherlock,_ Pepper thought frowning.

There was a sharp crack of Eric breaking even and she watched as two striped balls made it in.

"So I'm guessing you're stripes," Pepper said.

Eric smiled softly. "You guessed correctly."

He stopped one of the waitresses and ordered a few Patrón Tequila shots for the two of them. She downed them in a second, ignoring the stinging in the back of her throat. She knew he was probably trying to get her drunk and easy, but she wasn't that stupid.

He moved around the table again. "So judging by your vast knowledge of alcoholic beverages," he smirked when Pepper blushed, "I'm guessing you don't get out that much."

"You guessed correctly," she said sticking out her tongue childishly. "And judging by your mass knowledge of pool," he hit the cue and another ball landed in the socket smoothly, "You do."

"You're a quick learner," he noted and she shrugged. "It's a curse."

He smiled brilliantly. It was similar to Tony's cocky playful smirk, the one that made her go weak in the knees. _No, bad Pepper! You shouldn't be thinking about him now._

"I wouldn't say it's much of a curse, but if it is," Eric said and he moved around the table so he passed her quite closely, "I'd say its one hell of a curse."

Pepper raised an eyebrow. "So I'm not damned to hell?"

Eric laughed, leaning back on his cue. "You know, Pepper, I like girls like you," he said.

She could have sworn her heart skipped a beat, but she kept a calm façade. "And why is that?"

He shrugged. "Most girls I know are purely materialistic and very high maintenance. You're more of a go-at-it girl, you know? Someone who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty, or even break a nail."

"Hey, actually I resent that," she said, "Broken nails actually hurt really, really badly." He laughed again, bending over the table. "Alright fine," he said, "But you're not like other girls, Pepper. You're not as…"

"Shallow?" He hit the cue ball and missed the socket by practically an inch. He chuckled. "Yeah. You don't seem that shallow."

"And you figure all this out and we've barely known each other for an hour?" she asked grinning. Eric shrugged. "It's a gift I have."

"More like a curse."

"Hey, at least we're both cursed now."

Pepper laughed. She was enjoying this flirtatious banter with Eric. She never actually got the chance to really act like a _girl_ at school, mostly because none of the guys actually paid attention to her. Tonight she was branching out; a new her.

Probably it was the alcohol speaking, but Pepper felt like a new person.

It was her turn, and Pepper continued to act clueless. "So, how exactly do I hit the ball?"

Smirking, Eric went to her side. "Your left hand has to balance the cue between your index and thumb," he took her hand and ever so softly put it on the table and placed the cue between her fingers, "And your other hand will go here," he took her other hand so he was against her back, a position similar to the one Tony and Whitney were in. He put her hand near the end of the stick and held it there. Pepper suppressed her blush so it was only mind and went along with it. "The key," he said lowly in her ear," is to get the right angle."

"Oh, I think we've got the right angle," Pepper said with what was supposed to be a flirtatious tone. _It probably sounds like I'm in pain_, she thought. Eric hummed in agreement and she could practically feel his voice vibrate through his body. "Now, pull back and hit the center of the cue ball." His hand on top of hers moved her arm back and then forth sharply so the ball hit another, and landed smoothly into the socket.

Despite being an expert, Pepper felt a bit giddy. _Probably because there was a hot piece of man meat practically on top of me, _she thought.

"And there you go," Eric said and they both slowly got up. "You're practically an expert now."

Pepper took a deep breath and turned around confidently. He was still up against her so their faces were almost touching. She could feel ever inch of him on her and ever so slightly, she applied more pressure on him. "That's probably because I have a great teacher," she said smiling.

"Ahem." A rather loud and purposely rude noise interrupted them and they jumped away from each other. Tony stood there, with a rather pissed off look on his face. Whitney was kind of hiding behind him, as if she were trying to pull him away from the two. Tony had his arms crossed. "Playing pool since you learned how to walk, huh?" he said like a stern mother.

Pepper panicked and quickly slipped from under Eric to Tony.

"Tony, leave them alone," Whitney was saying but he ignored her. "I never knew you would stoop so low," Tony hissed at Pepper. She recoiled as if she had been slapped, but he continued. "You're drunk and you're letting him taking advantage of you like that?"

"First of all," Pepper struggled to keep a steady voice. He had never talked to her like that before, "I am not drunk, and I'm not stupid. He was not taking advantage of me, and it's not even any of your damn business." She turned and was about to walk back to Eric, but he took her arm and held her back. "Lying to get a guys attention isn't that smart either," he said harshly.

She struggled to get out of his grip. "Let go of me, Tony," she said, but he wouldn't.

"Since when do you care what I do or whom I'm with?" she snapped at him. A few people turned around to look at them, but she ignored them. "You never had a problem with me flirting with guys before."

"That's because no other guy would ever flirt with you!" he snapped back, and she could have sworn her heart stopped beating. His eyes widened after those words came out of his mouth, and he immediately regretted it. "Pepper, I'm sorry, I—"

"What happened to one-on-one then, huh?" she retorted. "You always do that, Tony. You always think of yourself before others! Its charming at first, but it gets _old_ and it _hurts_, Tony. Rhodey and I deal with your arragonce every day. Don't you think we deserve at least a 'thank you' for saving your ass all the time?!"

"Pepper, I—"

"Forget it," she choked out. She stepped forward and spoke so only he could hear her. "And by the way, it _is_ your damn fucking fault my dad is the way he is. And for that, you can tell Iron Man I said I _quit_."

She shook out of his grip and looked at Whitney. For the first time, she let someone else see tears in her eyes. "Happy birthday," she said thickly and quickly made her way to the exit. She heard Rhodey and Eric call for her, but she ignored the both of them and ran out.

A sob escaped her throat as she ran through the streets of Manhattan. She didn't know where she was going, but all she wanted to do was get out of there. She thought she had cried her tears out when she found out her dad may never wake up from a coma, or when she realized that she would never make enough money to get the surgery he needed. She thought she could never be more broken.

But Tony Stark was a genius. He could do anything, like breaking her heart. Again.

Pepper came to a stop and leaned forward on her knees to catch her breath. She looked up to see where she was, and almost laughed out loud. She craned her neck to see the building of Stark International, wondering if she had did something in a past life to deserve such a punishment.

Probably this was for sneaking into her dad's office too often.

Not wanting to stay there any longer, Pepper walked on, this time more slowly. No one was waiting for her at home anyway. She checked her watch to see it was almost midnight. Her head felt a bit heavy from the Patrón, but she felt pretty coherent.

Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she saw something catch the light. She looked and saw something shinny and oddly familiar sticking out of the garbage can.

The mask of Madame Mask stared at her and Pepper stared back. She picked it up, and suddenly, her world of troubles slipped away.

_I'll get you through this, Daddy. I'll get us both through this._

* * *

_So my updates are going to be weekly, as you can tell. Hopefully I can keep up with that! Review please and tell me what you think! Feedback is my best friend (: _


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